A Matter Of Trust
by CLMScagliotti
Summary: Leona is tall, blonde and an expert for high heels. But after all she is still a Beale: Intelligent, ambitious, an absolute computer freak and a true gambler. The only one who really knows her is her older brother Eric. But now he seems to hide something from her, and she won't give up before she knows the truth. (I only own my story and OCs. The show belongs to CBS I think.)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: KNOCK, KNOCK. Alright, so this is my first try at a NCIS: LA story. I've been watching the show for years now, but I somehow didn't have the inspiration before. But at the moment my muse has a crush on this show. **

**I also recently started RPing in this fandom on twitter (Nell Jones: UnunoctiumOreo; OC Leona Beale: BrilliantBeaut). My Nell's Tumblr is Ununoctium118. **

**KTF CLM**

**Of Wishing and Watching **

„Leo! Come on! Our plane arrives in an hour. This trip was your idea! And now we're gonna be late!"

Leona rolled her eyes but couldn't help smiling like an idiot. The teenager was standing in front of the mirror in the bathroom of her uncle's house in southern Oregon. She moved in here with her uncle, his wife and their now twelve year old son about three years ago. Back then she was only thirteen years old herself and she never expected to stay here for so long. They told her it was only temporary. Only until her father caught himself again. But he never did. He was such a brilliant man, but he suffered from an annoying gambling addiction ever since the divorce. And her mother was too busy traveling all around the planet to properly take care of her children. Not that Leona's older brother needed anyone to take her of him anymore. Well, not really. Eric could be such a child sometimes. And of course Leo loved nothing more than to tease him because everybody believed she was more mature than him. She always liked playing the grown up in the house. As long as it doesn't involve cooking or cleaning. Her friends kept telling her how much she contradicted herself sometimes. She hated shopping, because she didn't like crowds. But she loved buying new high heels and she went to every party she could because of how much she loved to dance. She could be brutally honest and energetic, but she certainly wasn't a fan of talking to people she didn't trust more than absolutely necessary. And people she trusted were a rare kind. Occasionally she wasn't even sure if she should trust her own family. Except for Eric. Her brother was always her closest confidant. She had many friends but none of them could her gain her trust completely like he did. When she a younger he used to spent hours just laughing with her, teaching her a few tricks with cards and computers. He always told her how proud he was that he had such an intelligent and beautiful little sister. No question, Leona knew that she was quite pretty. But many people reduced her to that. They rarely ever gave her the chance to show off her wicked skills. But her brother challenged her. He knew what she could do when they would let her.

And then he left her alone with their uncle and his family. They tried to understand her, but they couldn't. No matter what they tried, her walls were built too high towards the sky. On the outside nobody would guess what was really behind her façade. She had her friends and she got along with most people, but there was always that voice in her head telling her that even her best friends would never truly know her and she would never truly trust them. Her brother would always be the only one who got emotionally so close to her. Which was ironic considered that he had the habit to stumble over his own words, and the annoying flip-flops, all the time when he just tried to be social.

Leo chuckled, brushing her long natural blonde hair onto her left shoulder. She thought for a moment before she decided she still had the time to braid it to a loose plait. Once she was finished she straightened her jeans-vest and nodded firmly. She was finally going to see her brother again. Besides, she had never been to Los Angeles before, which was a crime for a California Girl. If she could, she would just move into her brother's apartment. But of course she wasn't allowed to. Even though she wasn't sure why. After all she could be helpful and she loved LA and her brother more than anything she could have here. But even when she just wanted to visit him occasionally he told her he was busy. How busy could a professional Blackjack-Player possibly be? She always thought that was a weird job anyways. Not that she didn't like it. Eric used to say she had a perfect poker face. Of course their mother wasn't thrilled about their shared hobby, but it wasn't like she was ever around to stop them. And in opposite to their father, Eric and Leona knew how to control themselves.

She rushed to her room, quickly grabbing her bag and her scrapbook for the flight. She always loved drawing, writing and designing. Her arts teacher said she had a good feeling for colors and contrast. In general, she got along with pretty much everyone. Her teachers, the other students, her family. If only it wasn't for the ones who called her selfish and egoistic just because she was smart and had a good sense for fashion. Especially her high heels. That was about the only cliché she couldn't help but follow. Shoes were simply a weakness of hers. Which was the only thing about her that annoyed her brother to hell, because she kept telling him how it wouldn't kill him to occasionally wear real shoes and pants. It all started when Eric began to be proud of their Scottish and German roots. He was more into the Scottish part while she learned German.

She rushed towards the staircase to go downstairs. And there was the annoying voice of her cousin Tyler again.

"God, what are you doing up there, Lee? Do you first have to sewyour clothes before you're ready to go?"

"I'm on my way, Ty! I just don't want to forget anything!"

"You always do. You could still spend hours up there and you'd still forget something! Now come on down! I want to go surfing!"

She rolled her eyes and ran downstairs, the bag slung over her shoulder and the book held tightly against her chest. "See? I'm ready. Where are Aunt Beth and Uncle Malcolm?"

"They're bringing their stuff to the car already."

He tried to pick up his father's old surfboard, but failed miserably and hit his head at the wooden frame of a family picture on the opposite wall. She gritted her teeth, quickly stepping aside when she saw that he lost his grip on the board. And not a second too soon, because the tall object fell to the floor exactly where the girl stood only seconds ago. She rolled her eyes again and glanced to the board. "You okay, Ty?"

"I'm okay." He nodded firmly, smiling a little bit. They daily had the most ridiculous arguments, but that doesn't mean they didn't care about each other. She hated to admit it, but she still wanted to keep an eye on him. That was one of the few benefits of living with her uncle and his family. Tyler was almost like a little brother to Leona. She didn't trust him all the way, but that wasn't his fault and they both knew it.

"Leona! Tyler! Are you both ready to go?"

That was Leona's Aunt Bethany. A nice woman, but with a cleaning addiction. Leo didn't like how cliché that sounded, but it seemed to be what Beth wanted. She was a nurse, but she didn't return to her workplace after her pregnancy. She wanted to be there for her son, and now for his cousin.

"I think so. We'll be there in a minute, Bethany."

Leona never stopped calling her uncle's wife simply by her first name. She liked the distance it put in between them. She liked Beth, but how should she trust her when she couldn't even trust her own mother? But that was an entirely other story.

She chuckled, seeing how Ty tried yet again to carry the surfboard on his own. He was quite small for his age, while she was already tall without her black Prada high heels. She placed her scrapbook in her bag and made sure she wouldn't drop it before she bent down to pick up one end of the board. At first he looked a little unamused, probably because his pride got scratched. But then he more or less willingly picked up the other end and held it above his head so he could reach her height. Luckily the way to the car went more or less smoothly. That's when Malcolm decided to take over and placed the board on the roof of his dark green Mitsubishi Outlander. He secured the board while Leo and Tyler got onto the backseats of the car. Bethany loaded their bags into the trunk. As soon as everyone and everything in the car was settled and Malcolm started the engine, Leona reached over the back of her seat and took the scrapbook out of her bag again. Opening it, she took the pen secured on the spine and started writing.

_Saturday, 28__th__ of June _

_Uncle Mal, Beth, Ty and I are finally on our way to the airport. I can't wait to see my brother again. And for once not on a screen. Ty can't wait to finally go surfing in LA either. I've gotta admit that I'm looking forward to the Californian beach too. But I mostly just miss my brother. I don't understand why he keeps trying to hold onto the distance between us. It's been about a year since he last visited us in Oregon and we've never been to LA before. Of course we're gonna stay at a hotel too. That means that we may not even see much of each other despite our holiday lasting two weeks. I would still rather live back in California with him than in Oregon with our uncle's family. Maybe also because I was born in northern California. I don't belong to Oregon or Uncle Malcolm or his wife Bethany. I belong to California and to my brother. Why can't they just accept that? Granted, I'd probably miss Tyler a bit. But I miss my brother even more. And now I may get my chance to prove that. I want to stay in LA. And in the end, I usually get what I want. _


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hey there, ladies and gentleman. I'm honestly sorry that this update took so long. I had a bit of a turbulent time with my computer and my head and... well, life in general. Sadly, that happens sometimes. However, the point is that I'm finally able to upload chapters again now.

Without wanting to chatter endlessly, which is a very bad habit of mine once I open my mouth, I also want to thank everyone who read, favorited, followed and especially reviewed already.

I'd like to give ncisnewbie a little reply right here too: I love your own stories and I was very happy to see you liked this so far. The diary doesn't appear in this chapter, but it'll definitely be back soon.

Two last notes:

I'm a little chaotic, and I got my tumblr UN wrong. It's 118ununoctium, not ununoctium118.

And lastly:

My current RP face claim for Leona is actually a German actress called Paula Riemann. I'm just saying this in case anyone would like to have a clearer picture of her.

**Counting Minutes **

Leona carefully swayed back and forth on her jet-black high heels. She, Tyler and his parents were waiting at the terminal for their plane to arrive. Usually they would have made it there just in time, but the airplane would come about forty minutes later than planned because of turbulences caused by the weather over Lane. And that was driving Leona insane. She just wanted to be in Los Angeles already. And by now she was freezing in her jeans, ending on her mid-tights. Oregon wasn't usually a cold country. Actually, she was probably the only one who felt like she was in Antarctica. She always felt cold when she was nervous or impatient. That considered, it might not have been the smartest idea to walk around in that outfit, with a tank-top and her favourite jeans vest. But she was going to LA for God's sake! The last thing that came to her mind when she thought about that state was to bring warm clothes. And right now she didn't really think clearly anyways. She was pacing up and down in between the rows of chairs with people waiting for their plane to arrive. And she wasn't helping anyone with her constant movement and the sound of her heels hitting the linoleum with every step she took.

"Leo! Quit pacing! This won't bring you anywhere. You're just gonna drive us all crazy with your circle-marathon." Tyler rolled his eyes in annoyance. He understood that she was sick of waiting. But he was growing sick of her by now. Leona stopped walking for a moment. She drove her hands through the bit of hair that wasn't captured in the braid, before she crossed her arms in front of her chest. The girl felt a shudder run down her spine. She bit her lip. Why did it have to be so cold? Or rather why did she have to have the worst immune system of the entire state of Oregon? Her cousin was visibly amused by her problems. "Freezing again, Lee? Geez, how did you even survive our trip to go snowboarding in Geneva last year?"

The teen actually chuckled at that. "Well, I spent more time studying the little bits of information they could give me about the current projects at CERN than actually with snowboarding. I don't know how you can be so obsessed with every kind of board anyways. Maybe you should try to learn how to use the ironing board or the breadboard sometime too. Even though, to stay fair, your father should take over the hoover duties. After all it has a motor and wheels."

Once she finished her suggestive speech even Malcolm and Beth couldn't help smirking. And Leona was in a way better mood now too. She sighed and let herself drop onto the chair next to Tyler, throwing her right leg over her left. She hated having to accept something, but she knew that she couldn't change the weather or the time. That only worked in movies and dreams. Suddenly she felt how Tyler hit her on the upper arm. "Ouch! Ty! What the hell!"

He rolled his eyes again, a mischievous smile on my lips. "You spaced out again. How should I have gotten your attention?"

"By talking to me for example!"

"I tried. You didn't hear me."

"Oh, please. You only needed an excuse for hitting me! You're such a child, Ty!"

She resisted the urge to hit him too, because she could already hear what they would say about that. He could do whatever he wanted, but she had to be the more mature older child. She knew that, because she enjoyed the benefits of the youngest herself when she was still living with Eric and their parents. But this wasn't her home. They said she was like their own child by now, but it just wasn't the same. But at least it was something.

"So what did you want anyways?"

"Did you even tell your brother that he can pick us up about an hour later than you told him?"

Her eyes widened slightly. She forgot it. She actually managed to forget to call him. And that even though she was counting down the minutes every time they were about to video chat again. They Skyped every Sunday. That was one of the few things she could mostly count on. Except when he had to work again. Who worked on Sundays? He really had to explain his job to her at some point. But right now she had to make a call. "I'll be right back."

She stood up, knowing without looking back that Tyler was most likely extremely proud of himself at the moment. He loved outsmarting her. It was rather rare that he actually won a match point against her though. He tried a lot already. It started with games from Monopoly to chess and ended with sports. For someone who loved to complain about the rules of her sports teacher, she was a hell of a fast sprinter and a pretty strong kickboxer. And considered she was one of the best in her high school's cheer-squad for one year while he hated gymnastics, he wasn't about to try that. Tyler was one of the few people who saw it coming that his cousin wouldn't stay in the squad for long. She was good at the actual sport, but it took her only about three minutes to come to the realization that the rest of the group consisted of foolish teenager girls in short skirts and with no real use of their so-called brains.

Leona walked for about two minutes before she stopped and leant against a wall, pulling her smartphone out of her vest's pocket. She unlocked the screen, dialling her brother's phone number for which she already had a shortcut on the first screen available. It took him three rings to pick up.

"Leo?"

She rolled her eyes. She'd gotten used to the nickname by now, but there was a time when he still tolerated that she wanted to be called by her full first name. But that was all over since he moved out.

"Hey, Eric. I'm sorry I didn't call sooner, but we're having a little trouble here."

With the word 'trouble' she seemingly got his attention. "Trouble? What do you mean? Are you all alright?"

"Relax, Specs." She grinned. She knew how much he hated it when she called him that, because he was the only one of them who was wearing glasses. Their father had contacts and the female side of the family had eyes like eagles. Malcolm was still wearing glasses, but of course he didn't count to the original household. Tit for tat. "We're just fine. Well, I'm slowly but surely getting impatient. Our plane is gonna be late. Something about turbulences with the weather. I don't know."

She heard him release a relieved breath. "Good. It's alright. When can I pick you up at the airport in LA?"

She shrugged. "Probably around 6 pm. If everything else goes smoothly. So how are you doing over there?"

"I'm alright. Looking forward to see my little sister again. And of course Uncle Mal, Aunt Beth and Ty. That reminds me, how are the two of you getting along?"

"Well, let's just say nobody ended up in the hospital yet. So we survived so far. And I'm looking forward to see my big brother again too. I still don't understand why I can't stay in LA with you."

"It's not so easy, Dandelion."

Leona rolled her lips in. She didn't know which part was more annoying to her. The fact that he always cut off the information she tried to get by saying it was simply 'not so easy' or the nickname he gave her when she was a kid. Occasionally he even used the German version, Löwenzahn. He seemed to think it was cute how Löwe and Zahn were the German words for lion and tooth. He teased her with the name Little Lion Tooth for years. The Dandelion was what was left of it after several discussions and smaller arguments about how she wasn't six years old anymore. And all of that just because leona was the Spanish word for lioness. But for the situation on hand, she decided Eric's secretive attitude was worse than that. Being treated like a child was still better than being avoided by her own brother.

"It could be easy if you wouldn't try to make it complicated. And you know that, Eric. You know it because I was only seven years old when I first told you that that was one of your most annoying habits."

"Yes, I remember that. But I'm serious, Leona." He sighed. He knew he was a bad liar. And it didn't help that he was talking to his sister of all people. But he couldn't tell her the entire truth either. "Please, can we discuss this another time?"

Leona bit back a bitter 'coward' and just nodded instead. "Fine. At least I have this holiday for now."

"Exactly. I can show you LA. You love sightseeing and shopping, don't you? And maybe I can even convince you to go surfing with Ty and I sometime."

She rolled her eyes, but a smile found the way onto her lips anyways. "Maybe. Perhaps I can figure out what you all find about it that way. And I guess it is kinda part of the typical LA vacation program."

"See? Compromises. I'm glad you can finally come to visit me here, Dandelion."

"Me too, Specs. I'm barely even mad because you still use that nickname for me."

"Ditto. Well, I've gotta get a few things finished. I'll see you around here."

"You will. See ya." She nodded and rang off. Even the best things had to end sometime, but this chapter of her life only just started. And she hoped that she could finally get the control over her own life.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: KNOCK KNOCK. Heya, look who's still alive! Let's see, what besides "I'm terribly sorry." do I have to say? I changed Leona's twitter UN to TenaxTaraxacum, which is also the URL for 'her' new tumblr sideblog. It's Latin, and basically means "tenacious dandelion". (Or at least I think it does.) **

**Oh, and FYI? Except if I say "I gave up on this story.", which has never happened before, I never stop trying. I just have a very messed up mind, and it often takes awhile to sort through that. **

**KTF CLM**

Up In The Air 

Leona impatiently played with the blue braided bracelet on her right wrist, her head leaning against the cold window of the airplane. It was a funny thought, knowing that it was the only thing in between herself and the clouds out there. The rain had passed by and the sky over northern California was as blue as ever, with only a few clouds framed by the bright sunlight. It was a beautiful sight. Leona always loved airplanes. The mechanic fascinated her and once she was up in the air all her problems seemed to be so small. Granted, it was a cliché. But it was true.

Well, if you took aside that Tyler was sitting in the seat behind hers, and of course he couldn't keep himself from kicking against her back with full force ever since the plane reached it's maximum height for this flight. By now Leona was biting her tongue to keep herself from turning around and barking her cousin into the ground. Even though, something about the mental image of the boy falling through the floor and all the way down brought a smirk onto her lips. Of course she knew that, following the rules of physics, she shouldn't have these thoughts. She was smart enough to realize that. But it calmed her more down than it probably should, and that wasn't something she would complain about. Luckily, her aunt, who was peacefully sleeping beside her, didn't have the slightest idea what was going on in Leona's mind. Bethany would most likely be on her son's side, as usually.

The teenager turned her head slightly to see her uncle. His eyes were closed and his breathing was loud and even. So he was asleep too. How Malcolm and his wife managed to fall asleep so easily and not notice a thing that was going on around them was beyond her though. Maybe it was an older people thing. The young blonde could keep her hands about as still as her cousin's feet: Not at all. So, sleeping? Yeah, not exactly an option.

With a deep sigh, Leona reached into her pocket and unlocked her phone. She wanted to write some last thoughts down before she got to see her brother again after all this time. But regretfully, she left her scrapbook in the bag alongside the rest of their luggage. She would still be cursing herself for this tomorrow, she already knew it. The girl had always preferred writing with paper and pen. It wasn't easy to understand, seeing that she was generally all in to save the woods and all that. Also, she generally had a thing for the high tech approach, much like Eric. But there was just something about ink, something personal, something irrational. Something sentimental, she supposed.

But while she couldn't reach her beloved book, her smartphone would have to do.

Just as she was about to start typing, she noticed a new message. At first the teen was afraid it might be her brother, trying to come up with some sort of crappy excuse why he couldn't pick them up at the airport. So she could honestly say that she was relieved to see one of her best friends' names on the small screen.

_[Have we lost you to the Shiny State yet?_

_\- Bree]_

Leona glanced out of the window for a moment, smirking at the other girl's attitude. Brianna Moreau was a sassy and snappy teenage girl, with inquisitive dark brown eyes and black locks falling onto her slender shoulders. Leona had welcomed the girl in their neighborhood a few months ago, since Bree's family had just come over the 'giant lake' from Great Britain. She lived in the house just down the street, with her mother and brother, their stepfather, his son and two daughters. The household was chaotic to say the least, which was one of the reasons why Brianna preferred spending time at the her friend's home. Which was fine by Leo, considering that she had missed having someone to trust around.

_{It's the Golden State, and we're still on the plane. Even though, if what I can see from up here is any indication for what my time down there will be like...}_

_[You know not all that shines is automatically gold, so don't you dare to leave me alone with the freaks here, Leona! I'm serious.]_

_{I take it I should just assume you couldn't be there to tell me goodbye because someone almost died again?}_

_[Why do you all have to be so over dramatic? He deserves worse.]_

_{So, your step brother?}_

_[I have absolutely no idea how you could possibly enjoy spending time with boys. I mean, sure, there are a few from our school I wouldn't mind. But brothers? I barely survived living with my own, and now mom's lover of the year had to tenfold my misery! Who was I in my last life? A serial killer? I don't deserve this crap.]_

Leona rolled her eyes at the other teen's recurring rant. It wasn't that she couldn't sympathize at all, because Brianna's family really was messed up to the core. But this must've been the thousandth time she heard and/or read those lines.

_{It's only for two more years, Bree.}_

_[Don't tell me you actually believe this imbecile's gonna last that long here.]_

The blonde was about to answer, even though it was always the same damn story anyway. She'd tell her friend that she should give it a shot, hope for the best. And not only her, but also for her mother. Brianna would start listing all the reasons why 'the best' would be if her stepfather and his pack simply fell off the face of the Earth, and eventually Leona would hit the bull's eye. Usually, that was when Brianna shoved in a 'nonchalant' "Whatever." before she changed the topic.

But now, Leona didn't have the time for that conversation. People around her locked their seat belts and shook their companions awake already. The girl must've missed the typical announcement, telling the passengers that they were about to reach their destination.

{Sorry, I gotta go. About to touch down. But if it helps you somehow, I'm glad things are the way they are now. Otherwise, you would've missed out on me too. Remember?}

The blonde switched the device off and stuffed it back into her pocket, smirking to herself. She knew she'd land a hit with that. She always did.

Turning in her seat, she glared at Tyler. The boy was still sitting there, too deep in his video game to even notice that his kicks didn't reach her seat anymore. She rolled her eyes and clicked her tongue to get his attention.

"Ty, put that away. We're about to land."

No reaction. Leona frowned, pushing herself up in her seat to reach back towards his. He didn't even seem to notice any of that, until she snapped her fingers right in front of his nose.

"Hey!"

They glared at each other for a moment, before she pointed at the device in his hands.

"Ty. Off. Landing."

Of course, he immediately started complaining. She overheard something about "senseless crap" and "random, old-fashioned rules", but she already wasn't listening anymore. As soon as she saw her uncle's eyes opening, who was probably awakened by their now pretty one-sided discussion, she sat down properly again. As she gently nudged her aunt's arm to wake her up, Leona's mood visibly brightened. They were landing, which meant they arrived at their destination. Where her brother would be waiting to pick her up.

Finally, she got her sibling reunion. And finally, she got a chance to figure out what had kept them apart for such a long time in first place.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:**

**KNOCK KNOCK.**

**I know this isn't really an improvement in matters of updating more frequently, but I promise I'm working on it. **

**I don't think the show gave us much input about Eric's background, which currently serves as my benefit but might change later on. However, I'm pretty damn sure I'll stick with the way I'm writing it now. On a side note, for the sake of this story I chose the ages 16 and 30 for the Beale siblings. (Although yes, I do realize that Barrett and Paula are both a few years older than that. Especially him, since he's like... 38? I think? But if I made them any older, it wouldn't have fit anymore.)**

**Anyway, here's a bit of input from Eric's POV and general background story.**

**KTF CLM **

To say that Eric Beale was nervous would be terribly underestimated. Truth be told, as they grew up his younger sister had been the one girl he actually felt comfortable and calm around. They were family. When things got rough, the siblings could always count on each other. Always.

Until they eventually went separate ways.

The mere realization that he barely had a clue what had been going on in Leona's life since then hurt worse than a kick in the gut. And yes, after living alongside her for years he knew that feeling very well. It wasn't like she ever meant to hurt her brother, she was just generally more forceful than she often intended. And way stronger than anyone ever expected, even the one who knew her best.

Or rather, the one who _had _known her best.

Eric sighed, unsuccessfully attempting to calm himself down while his fingers drummed a random tune on the steering wheel. It had been almost ten minutes since he arrived at the airport and parked the car, but he was still sitting in the driver's seat. He had ten more minutes before he would definitely have to go. Leona had been looking forward to this for a long time, and she would be counting minutes if not seconds.

And really, he was more than happy to get a chance to spend some time with his sister. No matter what happened, she was still pretty much the most important part of his family. As far as he was informed, neither of them had talked to either of their parents in what seemed like ages. And sincerely, he had ceased to care too much. Of course, it still hurt sometimes to know that they both chose other priorities. It wasn't such a surprise that their mother hadn't given it a second thought that an argument about her almost constant absence had started the hell that ended in a messy divorce. Well, things hadn't run smoothly for a long time. But Eric was pretty sure that hit the final nail into their relationship's coffin.

And after that? All traces of their mother's existence vanished from their home and lives within merely hours, leaving them wondering if she had ever truly been there. Lynette Lorentz, formerly Beale, was merely a stranger from their past. Neither of the siblings had ever expected much support from their father, and he stayed true to his reputation. But at the time, it still seemed like he could handle living with a kid. Of course, Eric had moved out and went to college years before the divorce. He was fourteen years older than his sister, and therefore he wasn't around much anymore.

Leona was six years old back then, and he was twenty. The tech operator would lie if he said he hadn't regretted the lack of actual help he could offer the girl.

She had just turned ten when their father got married again. A marriage that was doomed before it started, because the man had been a real wreck since he and his first wife split up. Sincerely, it had been an honest to God wonder that it somehow survived until Leona was twelve.

From then on it had been a matter of months until Michael Beale broke down completely and gave his daughter away, to his brother Malcolm.

And through all of it, Eric was rarely by Leona's side. But instead of blaming him, the way he was sure he deserved it, she called him all the time and kept on telling him it was okay. That she was proud of her older brother for getting out there and doing something with that grand IQ of his.

Although she did occasionally nag him about that 'professional blackjack player' thing. Even more so since he moved said occupation from Vegas to LA.

Which brought his mind back to his current problem.

Leona always put all her trust in her brother. She counted on him more than anyone else to do the right thing, even if he did it a little clumsily at times. She never smiled brighter than when he reminded her that he was the one person who saw her for who she really was, and never underestimated her. And most of all, she was leaning onto the reassurance that it was mutual. That they knew each other so well, and that they could talk about anything.

And now? Ever since he got this job, he had been lying through his teeth every time she even just asked him if he had anything new to tell her. He had tried to sneak in little truths and wrap them up in his cover story, but he just wasn't that stealthy. So he usually avoided telling her much about his life altogether, which obviously bothered his sister immensely.

Even if he took aside the feeling of guilt chewing on his brain and spitting out barely functioning nerves, he still knew better than anyone else how smart and stubborn Leona was. She had always been inquisitive and intelligent, and she never gave up once she set a goal for herself.

There was absolutely no doubt that her current mission had a lot to do with making him talk, and he was afraid she would spend a grand part of her vacation working on that.

Or in other words, Eric was totally screwed.

He took in a deep breath, trying to somehow mentally prepare himself for everything that was about to happen despite the fact that he knew that really wasn't possible. Climbing out of the car, he silently told himself to think good thoughts. And at the realization that he was merely a few steps away from almost running out of oxygen because his little sister would hug the hell out of him, he even managed an honest smile. Still nervous, but also impatient to see her again, Eric made his way into the building and through the halls.

It didn't take him long to spot the four of them, a few steps apart from the rest of the arriving and awaiting crowd. Malcolm and Beth were talking quietly, but what had gotten his attention so quickly was the 'discussion' held by his sister and their cousin. He couldn't quite hear what it was all about, but the mood obviously wasn't too amazing. Leona and Tyler talked at the same time without even considering that the other might have something interesting to say, and entirely oblivious to anything around them. Their voices constantly seemed to grow louder, so things definitely weren't getting better. And hell, Eric clearly recognized the teenager's expression. Her arms crossed in front of her chest, high heels set so firmly on the ground that she could leave the floor behind with a few holes, blue eyes sparkling dangerously as if she might shoot flames or lasers out of them... Yep, that was most definitely the kind of look Leona Beale got seconds before someone forcefully had to keep her in check because she attempted to snap another someone's wrist.

High heels taken aside, it always had been. He remembered her glaring down a girl nearby the playground when she was a kid, for a ridiculous and long forgotten reason. Some things never changed. But comparing the seemingly angelic little girl with bouncing blonde locks from back then to the confident and strong young woman over there, he decided for himself that there weren't nearly enough of those things. As proud as he was of his sister now, he missed the only innocent soul there was throughout his own teenage years.

But she was gone, and in her place was someone who could cause severe damage if he didn't stop her now.

True to his habit, Eric gained their attention with a loud whistle. Curious heads turned to look at the source of that noise, namely Eric himself, but all he could mentally take note of was a loud squeal; followed immediately by the sound on heels rapidly hitting the linoleum floor until she reached him and threw her arms around his neck.

"Eric!"

Damn, she had gotten tall. She was never small for her age, but now there was no denying that she wasn't wearing those shoes to increase her height. And as expected, she had gotten stronger too. While her face was buried in his shoulder, her arms tightened around his neck. Enough for him to be extremely grateful for their aunt's calm, and lightly amused, warning.

"Honey, I know you missed him. But you won't have much of him anytime soon if you hug him into unconsciousness now."

Within split seconds the girl had jumped back a wide step, a sheepishly apologetic grin crossing her face.

"Sorry. It's just-"

"Don't even worry about it, Dandelion. I know."

He stepped forward to close the distance between them again, wrapping one arm around her shoulders. They were both smiling brightly as she rested her head against his chest, so many words left unsaid and still so clear to one another.

And right in that moment, nothing else mattered. Not the existence of other people in the room, not the argument Leona had dropped on the spot seconds ago, and not even the secrets that hang in the air between them. Or the voice in his head, reminding Eric that he had to be careful with every word he said to her.

At least it didn't matter until Beth spoke up again.

"Alright, kids. Mal and I thought we should take a cab and get to the hotel right away with Tyler, so you two can have some time to catch up now. How does that sound?"

Before Eric could even think of a reaction, his sister already took the lead.

"Great! I might as well stay with my brother tonight, and tomorrow we can all meet at the beach after breakfast."

Malcolm and Beth both nodded, and there was an enthusiastic spark in their son's eyes as soon as the word 'beach' reached his ears.

Seemingly satisfied with that answer, Leona turned her head to sent Eric a beaming grin. That on its own might've told him that she simply wanted to spend time with her much missed brother, but the determined look in her piercing blue eyes gave away that she had every intention to start chasing her goal as soon as possible.

And by the time she grabbed his wrist and pulled him into the direction he had come from, he already knew that he was about to fall into a load of trouble.


End file.
